The Western N.C. Farmers Market will host its free Spring Festival & Growing in the Mountain Plant Sale, April 22 through 23 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests can meet and shop with local farmers, plant growers and craft makers at the popular event. Local food trucks will be on hand featuring ramps and strawberries, and visitors won’t want to miss the daily Food Truck Cook-off at 11 a.m.The WNC Farmers Market, which is open seven days a week, is located at 570 Brevard Road, Asheville.
Press Releases
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from 37 stores in 22 counties because of excessive price-scanner errors.“Our Standards Division closely watches stores to ensure that consumers are protected,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “This is an important function to make sure North Carolinians are being charged the prices they see on shelves. While our work will continue, it is important for consumers to check their receipts regularly and notify store managers if they see a discrepancy.”
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging equine owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus.“Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler said. “EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent. However, both diseases are preventable by vaccination.”
The Got to Be NC Festival will honor farmers aged 18-40 through the Young Farmer of the Day program. The program, sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina, celebrates our state’s agricultural future and three young farmers who are behind our state’s $92.9 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry.
The N.C. Board of Agriculture will hold a meeting Monday, April 17, at 1 p.m. in the training room of the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center in Raleigh.The board will take up the following items:
WHO/WHAT:The N.C. Plant Conservation Board will meet jointly with the Scientific Committee to discuss items related to land conservation, stewardship efforts of the N.C. Plant Conservation Program and regulatory matters.WHEN:Wednesday, April 9, 10 a.m.
The N.C. Pesticide Board recently approved the following settlement agreements. Settlements involved instances of performing pesticide work without a proper license, pesticide drift or pesticide overspray damage, and are listed by county below:
Below is a summary of local interest stories that have recently been highlighted on the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ In the Field Blog. Please feel free to use any of this content in your publications or contact us if you have any additional questions.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and the USDA Forest Service have decided to increase their trapping efforts for gypsy (spongy) moth (Lymantria dispar) in the proposed Cruso treatment block in 2023 and reevaluate the data for next year due to delays in public notifications. Additionally, the proposed treatment for this highly destructive pest will be postponed for 2023.Since no treatment is planned for this year, no additional public meetings in Haywood County are planned at this time.
Two programs of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will host a day-long series of information sessions on April 13 to highlight recent investments in agricultural research.Researchers will discuss some of the projects that have received grant money through the Bioenergy Research Initiative and the New and Emerging Crops Program. They will also share potential economic possibilities.